ABSTRACT
The early 1990s witnessed a revival of the controversy regarding Western Europe's political future. They were concentrated in particular on a 1990-1991 intergovernmental conference of the representatives of the European Community member states, the result of which was the Treaty establishing the European Union. There are many parallels between the period of Altiero Spinelli's vision for a federal Europe and the debates in contemporary Europe. The chapter examines the Spinelli vision for European Union. It looks at the post-war period, when Spinelli was instrumental in the creation of the federalist movement in Europe as an idealist who was not involved in politics. The chapter discusses the early-1980s phase of Spinelli's involvement in what he called his last battle, when he proposed his draft treaty on European Union. Spinelli's career began in 1924 when, as an antifascist communist. He spent twenty years in active involvement in the European and Italian federalist movement.
